Report details sex abuse allegations against UofU swim coach

Thursday , March 06, 2014 - 10:58 AM

Paul Foy

SALT LAKE CITY — A suspended University of Utah swim coach sexually abused a teenage girl years ago in Arizona and urged her to keep quiet about it, saying, “People will think I’m Chester the Molester,” according to a police report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The now 22-year-old woman told police in Arizona that Greg Winslow was “like the creepy uncle you know hugging you too long.”

The report was released by police at Arizona State University, where Winslow was a popular swim coach. It says Winslow was 32 when he took a special interest in a gifted 15-year-old swimmer on the Sun Devils Aquatics club in Tempe, Ariz. Winslow doubled as a coach for the girls’ swim club. He later went to work for the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.

Winslow has not been arrested or charged. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in Phoenix said Tuesday it was reviewing the 97-page police report.

ASU police said there were no witnesses or other victims on the swim club to corroborate the woman’s allegations. They recommended criminal charges based on a secret recording they arranged between the woman and Winslow in November.

In the conversation, Winslow says, “I’m sorry for kissing you.”

When the girl asks, “What about for rubbing my breasts?” Winslow responds, “I’m sorry for that, too,” according to a police transcript.

The AP could not reach Winslow for comment Tuesday. He has denied the allegations in police interviews, saying his confession was meant to make the woman’s full recovery from alcohol and drug abuse possible.

Winslow acknowledged being her “father figure” but said the pair later had a falling out. The girl dropped out of swimming at a Utah college despite her obvious talents, according to ASU police.

The allegations led to Winslow’s suspension by the University of Utah on Thursday. The school announced Monday it won’t renew his contract.___